October 23, 2016
Earth Shakers
Billy Graham
2 Timothy 4:1-7 NIV
“In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep you head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
Last week, we discussed answering God's call, and as we wrap up our discussion about Earth Shakers we want to look at Billy Graham.
Bio
Born November 7, 1918
Attended Bob Jones College and Florida Bible Institue before finally transferring to Wheaton College.
Between 1947 and 2006, held more than 400 crusades in 185 countries. It is believed that he shared the Gospel with 215 million poeple worldwide.
Two distinct things happened with Billy Graham during his crusades:
1. He recognized the issues of racism during the Civil Rights movement and did not keep silent.
2. He learned to keep the Cross above all else.
Nearing retirement, Billy Graham shared a story about how he held a crusade early in his career with thousands of people attending. After the 10 day crusade ended, Graham and his staff reflected on the lack of people making a decision for Christ. One of his staff members pointed out that they talked about Jesus, but never directly referenced the cross. Upon realizing this, Graham repented for wasting this tremendous opportunity that God had given him. He vowed to never stray from the core of what the Gospel is.
Billy Graham calls the Gospel, Steps to Peace with God.
He explained it in 3 simple steps:
1. Admit to God that you are a sinner in need of God's grace
2. Believe that Jesus was the Son of God, died a sinless death for you and was resurrected 3 days later
3. Confess that you need God to wash those sins away
The thing about all of these Earth Shakers is that they were willing to answer the call no matter where it was to, no matter to whom it was to, or for how long. These missionaries were all normal people who focused on the Cross and the Gospel.
Communication Card
- I am willing to share the Gospel whenever and wherever the Spirit leads.
- I will commit to be open for God to speak to me at ReAlign.
- I will keep my focus on the cross, no matter what.
